Israelis should be welcome in Birmingham

The response to that will be interesting.

The fact that there were masked anti Israel protestors causing trouble despite them getting what they wanted, no Maccabee supporters, kind of belied the idea this was about Maccabee supporters being a risk of causing trouble themselves anyway.

Oh I know they have a right to protest and some make very full use of that. Excessive to my mind but there you go. At least you admit that the pro Palestine protesters are shit stirrers. That'll do for me.

Oh don't we know they have a right to protest and some make very full use of that right. Excessive to my mind but there you go. However you've agreed that the pro Palestine protesters are bother causers and shit stirrers. That'll do for me.

Obviously not the end of this matter just yet;

Tuesday, 4 November 2025

Letter to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner relating to the upcoming Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv Europa League fixture...

Dear Commissioner and Chief Constable

I am writing on behalf of the Home Affairs Select Committee to request more information regarding the decision-making around the forthcoming UEFA Europa League fixture between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Though Maccabi Tel Aviv have now declined tickets for the fixture, there is a public interest case for greater clarity about the process that led to the initial decision not to allow away fans, which we would be grateful for your assistance in providing.

It has been set out how the initial decision by Birmingham City Council not to allow Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was based on a risk assessment provided by West Midlands Police to the safety advisory group. We would therefore be grateful if you could set out:

1. What assessment West Midlands Police made of disorder in Amsterdam in November 2024, following a match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv?

2. What options for policing the fixture did West Midlands Police consider as part of its risk assessment? For example, was a ‘bubble’ considered for away fans?

3. Did West Midlands Police assess that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were likely to be the victims of antisemitism? If so, was this seen as the most significant risk?

4. Did West Midlands Police assess that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were likely to present a danger to the local population?

5. To what extent did resource constraints mean that West Midlands Police felt they were unable to police the fixture effectively? How often and in what circumstances would a request to other forces or the Government for mutual aid or additional resources be considered?

In addition, and in line with the Home Affairs Select Committee’s powers under the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, we would like to request a copy of the full risk assessment conducted by West Midlands Police in relation to this fixture.

As well as questions around the initial decision-making for the fixture, we would be grateful for your answers to some questions about the wider political environment and the impact on West Midlands Police:

1. Did campaigning about the fixture, including a petition to cancel the fixture promoted by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, affect your assessment of the risk posed by the fixture? In particular, was your assessment that Maccabi TelAviv fans were put at greater risk by public campaigns against their attendance?

2. Was any evidence submitted to you by campaigning organisations material to your risk assessment for the fixture?

3. Following the offer of Government support to resource the fixture, were you able to consider additional options to police the fixture? What options were considered at this point?

Finally, given the questions this incident has raised, will you be conducting any review of West Midlands Police’s footballing operation, to ensure that potential future high-risk fixtures can be policed safely?

We are grateful in advance for your assistance in this important matter and would appreciate a response by Wednesday 19 November. Our intention would be to publish the material you provide in response.

Yours sincerely ...

Chair of the Home Affairs Committee

https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/83/home-affairs-committee/publications/3/correspondence/

AppleStrudel16
so at least one of the arrests was a pro-Israeli supporter. At least six weren’t related to the protest (racial abuse during a road rage incident, the s.60 offence, the dispersal order, racial abuse of a police officer, fireworks and PWITS)

Why have you discounted the face covering, the dispersal order offence and the fireworks as not related to the protest?

Also on Thursday night, pro-Palestinian activists set off flares in a concert auditorium in Paris;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w9lgx1gnxo

I think they were all there to cause shit. But they have a right to protest.

If you see an EDL gathering do you think they’re racists? I do.

If I see a ‘pro’-Palestinian march and hear ‘river to the sea’ and ‘Yemen, Yemen…’ and ‘death, death to the IDF’ I also draw conclusions about people willing to do that and to go along to support it.

It’s nothing to do with psychic abilities. Or hyperbole.

Clearly not. You think one side are there to cause shit and the others aren't. For all your pontificating on this thread you're not as impartial as you think you are.

I think they’re all fine to protest. I’ve said multiple times that football is inherently political.

But what I don’t do is sit back and pretend that most of the groups there were completely peaceful

And why were the pro Palestine lot there? To cause shit too? Or are you so biased that you think only one side should protest?

Yep!

To cause shit?

Why were the pro Israeli protesters there on Thursday?

How do you know all of these people think this? Do you have links? Are you psychic?

No?

Then enough of the hyperbole.

The thing is, pro-Israeli posters don’t want to acknowledge that MTA were violent. In their minds, Israelis can do no wrong.

The same poster you’re responding to has refused to acknowledge that a pro-Israeli protestor was arrested that night, and that there were far right protestors there too. In her mind, it is only pro-Palestinian protestors who can be violent.

Sorry, it's late I'm clearly not following you? The ban wasn't about violent racist foreign football fans but fear people may stir up shit?

The police have been very clear that the primary reason for the ban was that some Macababi Tel Aviv fans posed a threat to the general public. I'm sure there may have been other considerations too but the primary reason was that violent racists from Israel posed a threat to the British public.

It wasn't a fear that anyone would shit on Muslims, it happened. On mumsnet it happened. Muslims were being blamed for the violent racist football fans being banned from the match, the fact that the football fans are violent racists was being swept under the carpet by those with an (clearly racist) agenda and instead the whole blame was laid at the feet of Birmingham Muslims and the violent racist Israeli football fans were elevated to the level of victim rather than recognised as the primary threat as confirmed by the police. It was framed as an antisemitic attack on Israelis, a 'ban on Jews', it was disgusting and many posters here participated in it.

Anyway I'm just repeating myself now so I'm out, I'm glad the match past without any major incidents.

'Pro Israel shit stirrers using claims of antisemitism to stir the shit and to shit on Muslims.'

You keep proving the point it was not simply a football hooligan issue it was all about the conflict in gaza and the fear anyone may 'shit on muslims' as you put it.

No. It reveals the pro Israel agenda. It is simple, the violent racists were banned primarily because they are violent racists.

The pro Israel agenda turned it into a 'Jew ban', turned it into 'antisemitism', turned it into us vs them rather than everybody agreeing the obvious that foreign violent racists are probably better off back home in their foreign violent country. It turned a simple ban on violent racists attending a football match because of the risk that they posed to the general public into a campaign of division and hate. Everybody can see what they did, everyone knows that there wasn't a single logical reason for people to feel so strongly that violent racists who posed a threat to the British public, as stated by the police, should attend a football match. Pro Israel shit stirrers using claims of antisemitism to stir the shit and to shit on Muslims.

Assuming there was obnoxious anti-Islam behaviour and that racist right-wingers turned up, why wouldn’t I condemn them? Nobody in their right mind would defend racists.

Which is why people shouldn’t defend antisemites. You know, those who obsess against and reflexively attack Israel.

Presumably you feel the same about the pro-Israeli protestors who were islamophobic yesterday, and the racist far right marchers?

Criticism of Israel needn’t be antisemitic. But, sadly, in the UK it almost always is, at least from those who fixate on Israel. Which is all the campaigners and marchers and shouters and placard wavers.

Just out of interest are you denying that MTA fans were violent and that people weren’t arrested last night for racism towards pro-Palestine protestors?

'All of these things are separate and true'

Yes but when you throw in all these separate but true issues when discussing one specific issue which is alleged violent away fans it kind of reveals the true agenda which again, you've just demonstrated perfectly.

The thing is to some people, any criticism of Israel is anti semitism. They’re not interested in actual measured conversation, they just want to shout everyone down.

It was the police who decided that the fans should be banned because of the risk they posed to the general public.

Pro Israel people made it sectarian by calling it a 'ban on Jews' and blaming Muslims in Birmingham and not the violent, racist fans who as the police confirmed posed a risk to the general public.

BDS want Israeli teams(not fans, teams) banned from international competitions because boycotts work.

All of these things are separate and true.